In the art of the manufacturing cable by twisting strands, it is common practice to rotate reels on which strands are coiled about an axis on which the cable is to be formed. In the past, each strand left its reel under substantial tension and passed over guide pulleys on its way to the point at which the strands were gathered into the cable.
While this system is satisfactory for strong materials, it does not work well for fragile strands, such as optical fibre. In order to maintain the structual integrity of the glass fibre, it is necessary that it not be subjected to tension and sharp bending. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art machines have been obviated in a novel way by the present invention.
It is, therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide a cabling machine for fragile strands in which the strand is not subjected to tension and sharp bending.
Another object of this invention is the provision of a cabling machine in which the strands are fed from cans without twist.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a cabler for optical strands in which the strands are not subjected to air stream interference.
It is another object of the instant invention to provide a cabler for delicate strands, which machine lacks pulley-type guides for the strands.
A still further object of the invention is the provision of a cabler in which the helix angle of the cable strands can be readily adjusted.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.